Cotton stripping means

ABSTRACT

Cotton stripper fingers are disclosed incorporating finger supports having pairs of finger arms extending from the forward ends of the finger supports upwardly and backwardly along the finger supports. The finger arms are parallel to each other and incorporate longitudinal edges protruding into stalk-receiving channels between adjacent finger supports.

United States Patent 1 1 1 3,729,909

Gray et al. [4 1 May 1, 1973 [54] COTTON STRIPPING MEANS 1,023,6974/1912 Weber ..56/330 H51 James Gray, Paradise valley; .3553? 131133832223358... .225333 l Rmd, Phoenix 3,408,800 11/1968 Jezek, Jr ..56/34of Arlz.

[73] Assignee: Garland Steel Company, Phoenix, Prima'y Examiner-RussellKinsey A m Att0rneyWilliam C. Cahill et al.

[21] A 2470l8 Cotton stripper fingers are disclosed incorporating fingersupports having pairs of finger arms extending [52] US. Cl ..56/34,56/127 from h orward ends of the finger supports upwardly [51] Int. Cl...A0ld 45/20 n b k ar ly long the fing r s pp rts- The finger [58] Fieldof Search ..56/33, 34, 35, 126-130, m re par llel to e ch th r nd inc rpra l n- 56/330 gitudinal edges protruding into stalk-receiving channelsbetween adjacent finger supports.

[56] References Cited 9 Claims, 9 Drawmg Flgures UNITED STATES PATENTS700,165 5/l902 Blydenburgh ..56/33O Pmmd May 1, 1973 3,129,909

2 Sheets-Shut 1 COTTON STRIPPING MEANS The present invention pertains tocotton strippers, and more particularly, to an improved finger-typecotton stripper to prevent jamming, inefficient stripping of the cottonbolls from the cotton stalks, and excessive trash being gathered withthe cotton.

It is well known that cotton can be harvested under certain conditionsthrough the utilization of a plurality of stripper fingers whichcomprise elongated, parallel, spaced-apart tines extending downward andmoved forward by a tractive vehicle. As the fingers are moved forwardover the ground, they comb through the cotton stalks. The stalks slipbetween the fingers and as the fingers move through the stalks, theinclined surfaces of the fingers (stripping edges) strip the cottonbolls from the stalk, ideally leaving the bolls of cotton on the topside of the plurality of stripper fingers to be moved into a receivingchamber, and leaving the cotton stalks in the ground below and behindthe stripper fingers.

Only under very definite and ideal conditions may strippers of the abovetype be used and, even then, substantial difficulties and problems areencountered. Because of the economy of this method of harvesting cotton,continued attempts have been made to overcome these problems. Theseattempts have been singularly unsuccessful. Since repeated reference ismade herein to present cotton strippers, it is necessary to stress thatmachines of this type are strictly in experimental stages and because ofthe multitude of problems encountered have in the past seldom beensatisfactorily used.

Cotton farmers throughout the United States have for several years beenunder severe economic pressure because of high growing and harvestingcosts and increased competitive pressure from foreign cotton growers.The greatest single expense of producing cotton is the cost ofharvesting and because of its simplicity a cotton stripper of the typedescribed is by far the cheapest known method of harvesting cotton.

The use of cotton strippers of this type also allows the cotton farmerto raise, in a shorter length of time, small high density cotton plantsin broad or narrow row patterns which reduce planting and cultivatingcosts, require less water, fertilizer and insecticides, and producehigher per acre yields of lint cotton. However, since the cotton growermust rely entirely upon cotton strippers to harvest this type of cottonand since present cotton strippers of this type can, at the best, beoperated only under ideal conditions and even then with considerabledifficulty, the cotton grower runs the risk of losing his entire crop ifanything less than ideal conditions prevail.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide animproved finger-type cotton stripper for removing cotton bolls fromcotton stalks.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a cottonstripper incorporating cotton stripping fingers mounted on fingersupports to effectively strip cotton bolls from cotton stalks whilesignificantly reducing the probability of clogging or jamming thestripper.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide afinger-type cotton stripper that will effectively remove cotton bollsfrom cotton stalks under a variety of field conditions without losingsignificant quantities of cotton bolls or damaging the cotton thusstripped.

These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art as the description thereof proceeds.

The present invention may more readily be described by reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing cotton stripping fingersconstructed in accordance with the teachings of the present inventionmounted on a cotton stripping machine.

FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are schematic representations of presently developedstripper fingers illustrating the chief difficulties encountered in theutilization of such fingers.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a stripper finger constructed inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention, shown mounted ona stripper finger.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of a stripper finger constructed inaccordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a bottom view of a portion of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a top view ofa portion of FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 6 taken along line 9-9.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a portion of a cotton stripping machine,somewhat pictorial, is shown at 10. The machine incorporates anyconvenient means of motive power and generally moves in the directionindicated by the arrow 11. A plurality of cotton stripping fingers 13are mounted in a suitable manner and extend forwardly and downwardly infront of the machine 10. As the machine is moved forward over theground, the fingers l3 comb through the cotton stalks and as the machineforces the fingers through the cotton, the bolls on the stalk are tornloose therefrom and are fed backwardly and upwardly into a receivingarea which is schematically indicated at 15. It will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that a variety of designs are available fordealing with the cotton bolls as they enter the area 15, it beingsufficient for purposes of cleseription of this invention to simplyschematically indicate where such bolls are ultimately delivered.

The stripper fingers that are typically present at todays state of theart are schematically illustrated in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4. Referring tothose figures, it may be seen that the fingers 13 extend forwardly anddownwardly from a suitable mounting bracket 20 and comprise rods or bars21 to which are attached plates 22; a variety of schemes have beensuggested for the attachment of the plate to the bars 21. The fingers 13are shown in FIG. 2 before the stripper engages cotton stalks. Toaccommodate cotton stalks that are not centered in the space between therespective fingers 13, the fingers are required to be flexible. Theprior art has suggested numerous methods for insuring the flexibility ofthese fingers. However, such fingers and finger supports are easilyspread apart by incoming cotton stalks, resulting in the stripper fingerpoints being forced apart and the stripper fingers being forced into anundesirable inverted V position, such as that shown in FIG. 3. In FIG.3, it may be seen that as the cotton stalk or plurality of stalks 27forces it way between fingers 23 and 24, the space between 23 and 24 isforced into the inverted V position, causing the space between adjacentfingers 24 and 25 to be essentially closed. As the stripper continues tomove over the ground, the stalk or plurality of stalks 27 is wedged andcompressed and forced backwardly against the supporting bracket 20;subsequent stalks are jammed. in behind the stalk 27 thus compoundingthe problem as schematically illustrated in FIG. 4. As the stalkscontinue to wedge into the space between the fingers 23 and 24, bothfingers 23 and 24 are flexed outwardly away from each other, closing thespace between adjacent fingers. A domino effect results where theinterfinger spaces are either completely closed off or greatly narrowed,such that cotton stalks are not stripped in the area of the narrowed orclosed spaces and the stalks, such as stalk 27, that are wedged into theopen space are either broken off or torn from the ground and remain in acompacted condition.

It may therefore be seen that when jamming or wedging occurs at anypoint between any two of the stripper fingers, the jammed cotton andstalks are forced to the back end of the fingers by incoming stalksuntil no more can be taken in. Then, the build up toward the front ofthe fingers continues until the entire stripping space between therespective fingers is jammed. This jamming causes the effected fingersto spread and interfere with adjacent stripper spaces, resulting inadditional jamming and similar build up between these fingers andadjacent fingers until all fingers are either plugged or the spacestherebetween are closed off to incoming stalks.

Referring now to FIGS. 9, the cotton stripper finger of the presentinvention is shown. Each of the fingers of the present invention issupported on a finger support 30 which extends forwardly and downwardlyfrom a suitable mounting bracket 31 secured to the stripper machine. Thefinger supports, unlike the finger supports of the prior art, arerelatively inflexible and are purposely made stiffer than would normallybe considered proper for cotton picking. Each of the finger supports,such as that shown at 30, terminates in a tip portion 32 and, eachsupport forms a cotton receiving channel between it and each adjacentfinger support.

Each finger support 30 supports a stripper finger comprising a pair offinger arms 34 and 36 extending upwardly and backwardly and parallel tothe support 30. The finger arms are welded or otherwise permanentlysecured to a foot member 38 having an angularly upwardly extending plate39 in contact with the tip portion of the finger support 30. The plate39 includes slots 40 and 42 to permit the passage of fastening bolts 44and 46 respectively threadily engaging corresponding holes in the fingersupport 30. It may be seen that the finger arms 34 and 36 are attachedto the foot member 38 only in the area 48 and are capable of flexingabout that area of attachment. It may be noted that wing nuts 52 and 54are provided and are dimensioned such that the wing of the respectivenuts contact the finger arms in areas 56 and 58 respectively; in thismanner, the wing nuts 52 and 54 may be forced into contact with thefinger arms for adjustably limiting the flexure of the arms.

The foot member 38 extends forwardly from the tip portion 32 of thefinger support 30. This forward extension is parallel to the ground. Thetapered points of the prior art stripper fingers must not be permittedto touch the ground and therefore must be carefully positioned toprevent such contact. The foot member 38 acting as a tip extensionextending parallel to the ground enables the leading edges of thestripper fingers to be positioned close to the ground to strip eventhose bolls that are close to the ground.

It may be seen by reference to FIG. 9 that the finger arms 34 and 36have a V cross section. It may also be seen that the finger arms extendparallel to the finger support 30 and incorporate longitudinal edges 64and 66 respectively that protrude into the stalk-receiving channelsbetween each adjacent finger support. The finger arms 34 and 36 aretherefore independently flexible in the plane of the fingers and arefree to contact stalks engaging the finger arm without affecting thefinger arm position parallel thereto on the opposite side of therespective finger support 30.

The operation of the stripper fingers of the present invention may nowbe described. The foot member 38 and the portion thereof acting as a tipextension 68 may be positioned in close proximity to the ground toinsure contact of the finger with bolls growing close to the ground. Asthe stripper fingers are forced through the cotton stalks, the stalkscontact the tip 68 of the foot member and are guided to cotton receivingchannels between finger supports, such as finger support 30. As thefingers comb through the stalks, the finger arms 34 and 36 contact thestalks and effectively hold the bolls therefrom. The size and number ofthe stalks and bolls is accommodated by the lateral flexure of therespective finger arms 34 and 36. In the event the cotton stalkreceiving area between adjacent finger supports is subjected to either alarge stalk or number of stalks that would ordinarily result in jammingof the stalk-receiving area, the finger arms merely flex to accommodatethe increased bulk being presented to the area; the flexure ofthe fingerarms does not affect the cotton stalk receiving area adjacent theretosince the flexure of the finger arms is independent and cannot result inthe previously described domino effect.

I claim:

I. In a cotton stripper machine, the improvement comprising: a pluralityof parallel finger supports each mounted on and extending forwardly anddownwardly from said stripper machine to terminate in a tip portion andforming cotton stalk receiving channels therebetween; a plurality ofstripper fingers, each mounted at their forward ends on a different oneof said finger supports; each of said stripper fingers including:

a. a foot member secured to the tip portion of said one of said fingersupports,

b. a pair of finger arms extending from said foot member upwardly andbackwardly along said one of said finger supports, each of said fingerarms having a longitudinal edge protruding into a respective one of thestalk receiving channels along said one finger support;

said finger support being more rigid than said finger arms.

2. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said footmembers includes slots for receiving bolts to adjustably secure saidfoot to one of said finger supports.

3. The combination set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said fingerarms comprises a member having an open portion facing upwardly.

4. The combination set forth in claim 3, wherein said member has a Vshaped cross section.

5. In a cotton stripper machine, the improvement comprising: a pluralityof parallel finger supports, each mounted on and extending forwardly anddownwardly from said stripper machine to terminate in a tip portion andforming cotton stalk receiving channels therebetween; a plurality ofstripper fingers, each mounted at their forward ends on a different oneof said finger supports; each of said stripper fingers including:

a. a foot member secured to the tip portion of said one of said fingersupports,

b. a pair of finger arms parallel to each other and to one of saidfinger supports, and extending from said foot member upwardly andbackwardly along said one of said finger supports, each of said fingerarms having a longitudinal edge protruding into a respective one of thestalk receiving channels along either side of said one finger support.

6. The combination set forth in claim 5, wherein each of said footmembers includes slots for receiving bolts to adjustably secure saidfoot to one of said finger supports.

7. The combination set forth in claim 5, wherein each of said fingerarms comprises a member having an open portion facing upwardly.

8. The combination set forth in claim 5, including means positionedbetween said finger arms for adjusting the flexibility of said arms.

9. The combination set forth in claim 5, wherein each of said footmembers include a tip extension extending forwardly from said tipportion parallel to the ground and having a tapered point for separatingand guiding stalks into said stalk receiving channels.

1. In a cotton stripper machine, the improvement comprising: a pluralityof parallel finger supports each mounted on and extending forwardly anddownwardly from said stripper machine to terminate in a tip portion andforming cotton stalk receiving channels therebetween; a plurality ofstripper fingers, each mounted at their forward ends on a different oneof said finger supports; each of said stripper fingers including: a. afoot member secured to the tip portion of said one of said fingersupports, b. a pair of finger arms extending from said foot memberupwardly and backwardly along said one of said finger supports, each ofsaid finger arms having a longitudinal edge protruding into a respectiveone of the stalk receiving channels along said one finger support; saidfinger support being more rigid than said finger arms.
 2. Thecombination set forth in claim 1, wherein each of said foot membersincludes slots for receiving bolts to adjustably secure said foot to oneof said finger supports.
 3. The combination set forth in claim 1,wherein each of said finger arms comprises a member having an openportion facing upwardly.
 4. The combination set forth in claim 3,wherein said member has a ''''V'''' shaped cross section.
 5. In a cottonstripper machine, the improvement comprising: a plurality of parallelfinger supports, each mounted on and extending forwardly and downwardlyfrom said stripper machine to terminate in a tip portion and formingcotton stalk receiving channels therebetween; a plurality of stripperfingers, each mounted at their forward ends on a different one of saidfinger supports; each of said stripper fingers including: a. a footmember secured to the tip portion of said one of said finger supports,b. a pair of finger arms parallel to each other and to one of saidfinger supports, and extending from said foot member upwardly andbackwardly along said one of said finger supports, each of said fingerarms having a longitudinal edge protruding into a respective one of thestalk receiving channels along either side of said one finger support.6. The combination set forth in claim 5, wherein each of said footmembers includes slots for receiving bolts to adjustably secure saidfoot to one of said finger supports.
 7. The combination set forth inclaim 5, wherein each of said finger arms comprises a member having anopen portion facing upwardly.
 8. The combination set forth in claim 5,including means positioned between said finger arms for adjusting theflexibility of said arms.
 9. The combination set forth in claim 5,wherein each of said foot members include a tip extension extendingforwardly from said tip portion parallel to the ground and having atapered point for separating and guiding stalks into said stalkreceiving channels.